A very warm welcome to BIS and its website, thank you for taking the time to visit us.
We hope the links provide you with a taste of what we believe is a very special school.
However no website can be a substitute for a visit to the school and we look forward to the
opportunity of meet- ing you personally. Visitors to BIS, both current and prospective parents,
are welcome at any time without prior appointments.

Welcome back for the spring term of the 2013-2014 academic year here at BIS and very best wishes to you all for 2014 and beyond.

Our thanks go to the many parents who were able to attend the parent teacher conferences on the final day of last term. If you were unable to attend school reports are available at the Registrar's Office and should appointments be required with teachers these can also be made through the Registrar. Having reviewed their reports we hope our students take the words of Ken Blanchard to heart, 'feedback is the breakfast of champions'.

This term began for our academic team with a day of preparation and continual professional development. Colleagues all attended a workshop on Formative Assessment based around the work of Professor Dylan William. This is a theme we will be returning to in the coming months as we seek to hone our assessment strategies to support learning and not merely be measures. To use a medical analogy we are seeking to conduct a diagnosis to provide strategies for development, formative assessment, rather than conduct a post mortem which may help us but not the patient, summative assessment. Clearly there is a place for both but the use of sound formative assessment strategies has a very positive effect on learning.

While on the topic of assessment please spare a thought for all Year 10 and Year 11 students who will be sitting mock IGCSE Examinations this month. The assessment of these mock examinations will provide the necessary data to provide each student with guidance in preparation for the final IGCSE exams later this school year. During the period of mock examinations access to the school library will be restricted.

Mr Baker has sent out details relating to the charges being made for entry into these public examinations. As with school fees we would be most grateful if all fees could be paid in a timely manner, the examination board levies heavy penalties for late payments and changes.

At this point I want to make an appeal to all parents on behalf of my colleagues. Would all parents please ensure they are aware of what time their child is due to finish school and ensure someone is there to pick them up after school. Far too often members of staff have been forced to remain in a supervisory capacity as students wait for their cars to arrive. We realise the difficulties created by the traffic situation here in Lagos but having students waiting for up to two hours after school is not conducive to the good use of their time or that of the staff member supervising them. Many of our teachers also face the 'horrors' of Lagos traffic in their journeys to and from school.

Again welcome back and we hope to see as many parents as possible in school over the coming term.